Uniforms & other items

[Marzyn]

Howdy all, being a new Marine I decided to 'not' buy my dress blue blouse (yet.) I was wondering if ya'll knew where to get one other than the PX and maybe MCCS online. I was looking on Ebay and there's a lot on there for really cheap but I dunno if that's a good idea. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't have anything I'll "need" dress blues for until Nov 10 next year :P Unless I get a meritorious board or something :)

Joe
Semper Fi

[LivinSoFree]

MCCS Online is actually a good place to order from. I got my blues through them for Birthday Ball this year, and out the door, blouse, belt, waistplate, anodized buttons, screwposts, etc. was about 166 bucks, which is on the cheap.

However, depending on where you're stationed, check the pawn shops. If you're on a big base like Lejune or Pendelton, they should exist in abundance... more often than not, less... shall we say, wise, Marines will pawn off a set of blues to cover some debts. If you're lucky, you might be able to find a set on the cheap that's already got stripes and tailoring done to fit your body. Depends on how much work you're willing to put into it.

Regardless, that's a hit and miss method. MCCS Online is what I would recommend... Be advised that you'll have to get your blues "buttonholed" for anodized buttons in addition to sewing on any chevrons and getting it tailored to your body. I was lucky: my blouse fit me out of the box, so I just had to get it buttonholed and chevrons put on it, which ran me about 23 bucks at the one civilian tailor I could find that I halfway trusted to do the job. Couldn't tell you about how much it'd cost on base, but turnaround is usually 3-4 days.

As far as eBay goes... I'd be wary of that simply because you can't see the merchandise and inspect it for the kinds of small but important details that make the difference between a good to go uniform and one that looks like trash (wear and tear, color fading, quality of tailoring, age, etc.).

Hope that's been some help. I'm a fairly fresh out of the pod green monster myself, so maybe some of the older and wiser heads can deploy some more seasoned wisdom for you.

[gilliegtst]

well i dont konw if they still do this, but the px on lejeune, in the clothing dept, actually had a section where it sold used items from Marines that were getting out and wanted to sell back some things, so if your new to an area, and dont yet have a car, i would check that out, i know i bought some uniforms there, with chevrons already on it for pretty cheap for some locker inspections when i was in.

Cpl G

[GunnyL]

I picked up a dress blue blouse from the cleaners when I was a LCPL. Somebody dropped it off to be cleaned and never came back for it. I got it for the price of the cleaning bill. $15 Can't beat that with a stick. If you want a new one, MCCS online is a great way to order uniforms.

Regards,

GunnyL

[Sgtj]

Go to 8th and I. After I wasa stationed there I was issued 5 sets of Dess Blues. I sooned realized I needed every last one of them too. During the summer months in DC I would sweat through them like nothing at all. I don't know how much money I spent on bleach to try and keep all my white gear clean. Oh yeah, not to mention all the money shelled out to keep my medals squared away. Still loved it though. I still think the white trousers are best with the blues blouse. Just my opinion though.